Frances Pigott
August 2015
A paper presented to the Society of Construction Law at a meeting in Birmingham on 21st January 2015
Equitable set-off has traditionally been a difficult defence to define. The Court of Appeal in Geldof Metaalconstructie v Simon Carves reviewed a number of important cases and in drawing the threads together has rationalised the test for equitable set-off. In this paper the judgment of Rix LJ is reviewed and the implications of that judgment considered.
A. Introduction – B. What is impeachment? – C. What is equity? – D. What is ‘set-off’? – E. Some examples of equitable set-off – F. Equitable set-off as a defence – G. Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act – H. Historical analysis – I. Conclusion.
The author: Frances Pigott is a barrister specialising in construction and engineering disputes; she was a solicitor for 10 years, started practice as a barrister in 2004 and is now practising at Atkin Chambers in London.
Text: 16 pages